Watching Shane Philip perform is an overwhelming, awe-inspiring
experience. He is in a constant state of motion, with all limbs moving at once,
simultaneously playing the didgeridoo, guitar and drums. And when he isn’t on
the didge, he’s singing.

“It’s not that hard,” Philip said modestly. “After you practice
it for a while, it’s like dancing. It’s like your limbs are doing different
times, but it flows and all comes together.”

Philip first started his multi-instrumental act about six years
ago, after attending an “Island Rhythms” drum show at his local community
centre.

“Right in the middle of the show, this guy grabbed a didgeridoo
and played the didgeridoo with these drummers, and it was phenomenal.”

While he had heard the didgeridoo before, this sound was
totally different.

“The way he played it, was kind of like playing a drum with
your breath, and I’m really into drumming, so it’s super percussive and super
rhythmic, and I was like, ‘wow, this is amazing!’” Philip said.

At the end of the show, he went over to talk to the musician,
Zach, and ended up buying his own instrument, which he took it back to his
small cabin up in Smithers. He taught himself how to play it, calling Zach
occasionally to get him to play over the phone and recording so he could
listen, memorize and parrot it.

Philip already played the drums and a weissenborn guitar, and
he quickly discovered that the sound of the didgeridoo blended really well with
the other instruments. So he decided to incorporate them all into a single live
performance. The end result is an action-packed set that leaves the crowd
staring in wonder before they start to groove.

“The best compliment I’ve ever had was actually at a Whistler
show at Dusty’s. This guy comes up to me and he says, ‘Shane, so what kind of
looping pedal do you use?’” Philip said with a laugh. “I was so happy, I just
said, ‘dude, I don’t have one, I just play live!’”

A career in music wasn’t Philip’s lifelong goal — he actually
used to be a school teacher in Smithers, B.C. “My secret weapon for that one
was me and another teacher, we used to practice at lunch hours writing songs
for the social studies program,” Philip said. “So we would turn the Upper
Canada rebellion into a reggae song, and the Lower Canada rebellion into a
rap.”